How Big Things Get Done

 
　　從工程建設、工作專案到翻修家裡的裝潢，面對每個人未曾挑戰過、主觀上的「大型」計畫，該怎麼做，才能在合理的時間和支出內，達成預期目標？
 
　　目睹一個願景化為真實所帶來的振奮和勝利感，是任何人都難以忘懷的經驗，例如在21個月內，從紙上規劃到在紐約市拔地而起的帝國大廈，以及在不到一年內，從構想化為上市產品的iPod。
 
　　然而，不是所有的故事都如此完美，事實上超過92%的宏大願景，都成為了噩夢──嚴重超支或工期超時，或兩者兼有，甚至達不到預期的營利目標。一個失敗的大型計畫，可能付出的代價還有參與者的職涯，甚至是無辜生命。就連規模稍小的創業、組織一場研討會、在時間內完成一項工作計畫，我們也常常超時或失敗，這究竟是為什麼？
 
　　探討這個問題，是牛津大學教授本特．弗萊比耶格長久以來的研究課題，他曾為超過百件耗資十億元以上的大型專案擔任顧問，是研究、規劃超大型專案的頂尖專家。在本書，他以豐富經驗與研究資料，指出不分規模大小的專案，有哪些常見決策錯誤，並提供具有研究基礎的成功法則。書中分享眾多成功與失敗案例，解析如何讓所有深具野心的計畫，都能在規劃的時間和成本內，漂亮達成目標。(文/博客來編譯)

　　“Why do big projects go wrong so often, and are there any lessons you can use when renovating your kitchen? Bent Flyvbjerg is the ‘megaproject’ expert and Dan Gardner brings the storytelling skills to How Big Things Get Done, with examples ranging from a Jimi Hendrix studio to the Sydney Opera House.”—Financial Times (Best Books of the Year)

　　“Entertaining . . . There are lessons here for managers of all stripes.”—The Economist (Best Books of the Year)

　　Finalist for the Porchlight Business Book Award and Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award • Winner of the Inc. Non-Obvious Book Award

　　Nothing is more inspiring than a big vision that becomes a triumphant, new reality. Think of how the Empire State Building went from a sketch to the jewel of New York’s skyline in twenty-one months, or how Apple’s iPod went from a project with a single employee to a product launch in eleven months.

　　These are wonderful stories. But most of the time big visions turn into nightmares. Remember Boston’s “Big Dig”? Almost every sizeable city in the world has such a fiasco in its backyard. In fact, no less than 92% of megaprojects come in over budget or over schedule, or both. The cost of California’s high-speed rail project soared from ＄33 billion to ＄100 billon—and won’t even go where promised. More modest endeavors, whether launching a small business, organizing a conference, or just finishing a work project on time, also commonly fail. Why?

　　Understanding what distinguishes the triumphs from the failures has been the life’s work of Oxford professor Bent Flyvbjerg, dubbed “the world’s leading megaproject expert.” In How Big Things Get Done, he identifies the errors in judgment and decision-making that lead projects, both big and small, to fail, and the research-based principles that will make you succeed with yours. For example:

　　• Understand your odds. If you don’t know them, you won’t win.
　　• Plan slow, act fast. Getting to the action quick feels right. But it’s wrong.
　　• Think right to left. Start with your goal, then identify the steps to get there.
　　• Find your Lego. Big is best built from small.
　　• Be a team maker. You won’t succeed without an “us.”
　　• Master the unknown unknowns. Most think they can’t, so they fail. Flyvbjerg shows how you can.
　　• Know that your biggest risk is you.

　　Full of vivid examples ranging from the building of the Sydney Opera House, to the making of the latest Pixar blockbusters, to a home renovation in Brooklyn gone awry, How Big Things Get Done reveals how to get any ambitious project done—on time and on budget.